Stonework was one of the earliest industries in ancient Egypt. A natural wealth of decorative stone was first exploited during the Pre-Dynastic period ( 4,000 BC ) and various quarry sites yielded basalt, breccia, granite, porphyry, limestone and alabaster. 2 ancient alabaster quarry sites have been identified, one at Wadi Gera and the other near Helena and in an area south of Mania. While Egyptian alabaster, geologically known as Calcium carbonate, was worked from the Pre-Dynastic time on, it was preferred during the New kingdom. The utilization of alabaster in Egypt dates well into the Pharaonic period of Egyptian history, and it is obvious when one visits the temples, tombs and museums in Egypt.
the original alabaster was a type of Calcite, a transparent assortment of gypsum. On the hardness scale of one to ten, the alabaster would stand at only two to 2.5 soft enough to scrape with a fingernail. Due to the low hardness, it is really easy to carve and polish, but it’s also easily weathered, particularly in wet conditions. Because of its softness , alabaster is typically carved for statuary and other decorative purposes. Ancient pharaohs used alabaster for many purposes, including household items, ritual objects, and for a selection of different funerary purposes like sarcophaguses and canopic equipments.
The Working of hard stone reached its height in the third and fourth dynasties ( 2600 - 2400 BC ). The early vessels were of simple but elegant shape, often with flat broad edges and tiny lug handles for suspension. The ancient artisans demonstrated their mastery of this medium as they shaped hard stone as if it were clay, manufacturing a diversity of finely crafted vessels. There have been no intact stone drilling tools recovered from ancient Egypt, though part of a stone employee toll kit survived. Decorative tomb paintings showing everyday life scenes have been the best source of information as to how stone pots were carved.
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